Previously on Forum

Forum brings you analysis of the latest national news, including President Trump’s decision to end subsidies that help low-income Americans receive insurance under the Affordable Care Act. We’ll also discuss the President’s announcement on Friday that he will decertify the Iran nuclear deal and new reports that Twitter deleted information related to Russian election interference.

In this hour, we’ll bring you the latest news on the wildfires burning across Northern California. We’ll also hear from elected officials about how their respective communities are faring, how they are providing for the North Bay’s most vulnerable populations and what type of support their constituents need.

Guests:
John Garamendi, U.S. Representative, California’s 3rd district, Former CA Lt. GovernorJames Gore, member of the board of supervisors for Sonoma County’s 4th districtJared Huffman, U.S. Representative, California’s 2nd districtMike Thompson, U.S. Representative, California’s 5th district

Losing a home or fleeing from a wildfire can be a traumatic event. And for many people, monitoring news about the North Bay wildfires and keeping track of loved ones is stressful as well. Forum discusses how to recognize the signs of burnout and trauma, methods for taking care of yourself and the mental health services being offered at evacuation centers as wildfires continue to burn.

Hundreds of people in Sonoma County remained unaccounted for Wednesday as devastating wildfires continued to burn throughout the region. In Santa Rosa, as forecasts predicted high winds late Wednesday, uncontrolled flames threatened homes and businesses and forced evacuations of thousands. The fires have already destroyed entire city neighborhoods, including Coffey Park and Fountaingrove. We’ll discuss the fire’s catastrophic impact on Santa Rosa and its residents.

Twenty-one fires are now burning in Northern California and authorities worry that high winds on Wednesday night and Thursday morning will further spread destruction. On Wednesday officials issued a mandatory evacuation for Calistoga. Forum brings you an update on the status of the fires in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and other Northern California counties affected by the fires and how those communities are coping.

Ongoing fires in Northern California have destroyed at least 2,000 homes and businesses including one of Napa’s oldest wineries, White Rock Vineyards. The wine industry and tourism provide approximately 100,000 jobs to Sonoma and Napa counties and generate about $13 billion annually for each county, according to 2014 figures. In this segment, we’ll discuss the economic costs of the fires and hear from some of those affected.

Guests:
Robert Eyler, professor of economics; dean of the School of Extended and International Education, Sonoma State UniversityTawnie Logan, board chairperson, Sonoma County Growers Alliance

At least 15 people are reported dead due to the 16 fires raging across Northern California. The fires have burned over 100,000 acres and over 2,000 homes and structures. In this segment, we talk to a panel of experts about disaster preparedness and tools for communication during an emergency. And we would like to hear from you: what questions do you have about preparing for a disaster?

Guests:
Barry Pilger, lost his home in the North Bay fires; served on Citizens Advisory Committee of the Wildfire Prevention Assessment DistrictErika Aguilar, reporter, KQED NewsKevin Van Leer, Wildfire Product Manager, RMS

The U.S. and Turkey have mutually suspended visa services, effectively blocking travel between the two countries. The suspensions come after a U.S. consulate employee was arrested in Istanbul last week. Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Steven Cook joins Forum for an update on U.S.-Turkey relations and to discuss his new book “False Dawn,” about why he thinks the Middle East uprisings from 2010-2013 failed, and why violence and autocracy continue in the region.

More than 1,500 homes and businesses have been destroyed and thousands of people have been evacuated from fires tearing across the North Bay. Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in Napa, Sonoma and Yuba counties. Forum gets an update on the fires, the evacuation efforts and the toll the fire has taken across the region.

A series of fires in five Northern California counties — totaling at least 20,000 acres — that began Sunday night are causing evacuations in Napa and Sonoma Counties. High winds are driving the fires which continue to blaze this morning, destroying homes and businesses, closing major roads and causing the evacuation of thousands of people. Several hospitals have had to shut down. Coming up on Forum, we’ll get an update and we want to hear from you. Have you been evacuated or otherwise affected by the fires?

The man known for inventing microfinance, Muhammad Yunus, thinks that capitalism has grown too “greed-oriented.” Yunus won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work lending money at low interest rates to budding entrepreneurs around the world. In his new book “A World of Three Zeros,” Yunus argues that environmental destruction, unemployment and devastating inequality demonstrate that capitalism is broken. He’ll discuss the book and lay out his vision for how to fix capitalism and attain economic prosperity for all.

Guests:

Muhammad Yunus, author, “A World of Three Zeros: The New Economics of Zero Poverty, Zero Unemployment And Zero Net Carbon Emissions”

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About Forum

KQED's live call-in program presents balanced discussions of local, state, national, and world issues as well as in-depth interviews with leading figures in politics, science, entertainment, and the arts.